Baby great white shark reported off La Jolla Cove

Two scuba divers told San Diego lifeguards that they saw a 5-foot baby great white shark about 500 yards off the shore of La Jolla Cove on Thursday.

The divers reported the sighting about 2 p.m., said Maurice Luque, spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Lifeguards interviewed the divers and felt confident it was likely a legitimate sighting, Luque said.

The divers said they were about 30 feet under water at the time. They were near a yellow buoy marking an offshore marine reserve. The shark did not threaten them, Luque said.

Due to the distance from land, the shark was not considered an imminent public threat, Luque said. However, lifeguards issued an advisory to swimmers, divers and kayakers in the La Jolla Cove area about the sighting. The advisory did not include La Jolla Shores.

Luque said that baby white sharks are not known to be interested in people. Their typical prey is fish.

San Diego lifeguard Lt. John Everhart said that the divers, both women, said the shark swam within about 10 feet of them. One of the divers is very experienced, he said.